Marvel Says No Black Widow or Hulk Standalone Films in the Works

Marvel Studios announced a number of new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe earlier today, but it also confirmed a couple of characters that won’t be getting their own movies anytime soon. The studio has long talked about the possibility of a standlone Black Widow movie starring Scarlett Johansson, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was always non-committal about the prospect. The same can be said for Hulk, who was successfully rebooted in The Avengers thanks to Mark Ruffalo and Joss Whedon. The character was a standout in the 2012 superhero team-up movie, and fans began asking when we might see a new Hulk movie from Marvel. Feige made similar comments about that prospect, saying it was a possibility but that nothing was in the works at the moment.

And now, on the cusp of new Marvel films like Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and Inhumans, Feige says there will not be a Black Widow movie nor a Hulk movie anytime soon. More after the jump.

Speaking at the Marvel event today, Feige was asked about the possibility of a standalone Black Widow movie, which he answered by saying the character is an integral part of the Avengers films (transcript via /Film):

Well, frankly, as I said in the presentation, it’s about bringing new characters to the screen. Black Widow couldn’t be more important as an Avenger, herself. Like Hulk, the Avengers films will be the films where they play a primary role. Her part in Avengers: Age of Ultron is very very big, and further develops and further enhances her character. The plans that we have for her throughout the rest of the Avengers saga is very very big, and lynchpin, in fact, to those films. So instead of taking her out there, or instead of doing a prequel, which we haven’t done yet, continuing the forward momentum and the continuity of the cinematic universe. Of which Widow is a key, key part.

Feige had similar things to say about a standalone Hulk movie:

Well, I wouldn’t say he’s absent from the timeline, I’d say Hulk is going to appear in many of those movies, particularly all those Avengers movies leading up to 2019 and Infinity War. Mark Ruffalo is on board for all those films, and we’re excited to bring him to those films. What happens with a standalone Hulk film? I’ll only say what I would have said about Black Panther last week or Captain Marvel the week before that, or Doctor Strange the week before that, or Guardians of the Galaxy two years ago, or Ant-Man ten years ago: we’ll see. We’d love to do it, we’d love to find the place to put it, but right now, Hulk will be appearing, with his friends, in their films.

While it’s certainly disappointing to hear yet again that there are no plans for these movies, it is at least encouraging to see Marvel finally moving forward with a female-driven superhero movie in the form of Captain Marvel. It’s tough to criticize the studio’s decision to not make a Black Widow movie without knowing how the character fits into these Avengers films. Obviously the studio has plans for this character, so maybe relegating her to only Avengers moviesmakes better sense than producing a spinoff feature. With Hulk, it’s certainly tough to make a film in which half of your character’s screentime is nearly dialogue-free and full CG, but boy do I love Ruffalo’s iteration of the character.

What do you think, folks? Is your appetite satiated by the flurry of new films that were announced today, or are you still eager to see a Black Widow or Hulk movie? Sound off in the comments section.

COLLIDER participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COLLIDER gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive.